A Beautiful Girl
by DyanaRoseJill
Summary: A usual visit to Leonardo makes Ezio realize that his friend is lonely. The assassin sets out to find a companion for the artist


The artist did most of his best work during the day. The sunlight coming in through one of the many windows in his work room made it easier to see, but tonight he was up late sketching. After lying in bed for an hour, unable to fall asleep, Leonardo decided to just get up. Wealthy patrons had kept him busy painting, so he hadn't really had time to work on his own ideas.  
He had been sketching for less than an hour when he heard a soft knock on his door. He blinked and stretched, rising to his feet. At this late hour, a visitor probably would mean some sort of trouble.

"Ciao amigo mico," a figure hooded in white greeted him.

"Ezio!" a smile lit up Leonardo's face. It had been too long since he had seen the young man, "Come in! Come in"

The hooded assassin ducked as he entered the house - he was just a bit too tall for the door frame.

Leonardo brought him further in, inviting him to sit, but Ezio's attention was drawn to the painting Leonardo had been working on - a lovely young woman. "Who is this?" he turned to Leonardo, "E bella, she is beautiful."

Leonardo chuckled and followed him over to the painting, "She is the daughter of a patron of mine."

Ezio tore his eyes from the painting, "I do not suppose there would be any chance of, eh, you know..."

"You would have to travel to Milano my friend." The artist laughed at Ezio's disappointed expression, "There are plenty of skirts for you to chase in Firenze."

"I don't know about that," Ezio grinned.

"Fah," Leonardo chuckled, "Never satisfied, are you?"

"You should know me better than that by now," Ezio responded innocently. He spotted the papers that littered the desk and the floor and he raised a brow, "what else are you working on?"

"Oh," Leonardo chuckled and waved his hand dismissively, "Just a device for traveling faster through the water."

"Realmente? How does it work?"

"So much work is put into making boats float," Leonardo said, "It would be much more efficient if they were completely under the water, like a fish." He ran a hand through his hair, "Of course… there is the small matter of breathing."

Ezio laughed, "Leonardo, my friend, you dream the impossible."

"Someone has to," he retorted, unashamedly.

The younger man opened his mouth to retort, when he was interrupted by a harsh banging at the door. Leonardo frowned and shushed Ezio, indicating that the young noble should go into the back room. As much as Leonardo liked seeing his friend, the fact remained that Ezio Auditore de Firenze was still one of the most wanted men in Firenze.

"Aprire la porta!" a male voice shouted from outside, "Open the door this instant!"

Leonardo opened the door, and a rough faced guard almost ran him over. "Where is he? I know he visits you!"

"What are you talking about?" Leonardo asked.

The guard grabbed the artist by the collar, "The assassino!" He gave Leonardo a shake, "What do you do for him?"

"I don't know who you're talking about," Leonardo grasped the hands of the guard, trying to remove them from his neck.

The guard gave a sudden yelp of pain and released the artist, one of his hands going to the back of his head. Another small rock came whizzing through the air, striking the back of the guard.

Both men turned and looked to see a figure in white crouched on the rooftop across the narrow cobblestone street.

"It's you!" the guard shouted.

Ezio laughed, and straightened. "So it seems you have found me." There was a soft whirring sound as he released his hidden blade, "What are you going to do now?" The moonlight glinted off the metal.

"You brought him here?" Leonardo sounded terrified, "The assassino? To my peaceful home?"

The guard looked stricken. "N-no! Ho pensato... I thought you were hiding him!"

"Of course not!" Leonardo snapped, pushing the guard out into the street, "Keep him out of my home! I don't want any trouble here!"

"Si… si! Sono spiacente, signore. My apologies! I will take care of the problem..."  
He withdrew his bow, aiming an arrow at the young assassin.

Ezio was much faster, and the guard's fingers were shaking, so he missed by a mile. The young assassin laughed at the guard and ran off across the rooftop. With a string of curses, the guard followed after him on the ground.

Leonardo went back inside. He regarded the open window in the back room, and decided to leave it open. The artist went back to sketching. Ezio would be back.

Just before sunrise, the assassin returned through the window.

"Welcome back," Leonardo greeted him cheerfully.

Ezio looked sheepish, "I am sorry about that. I did not wish to draw attention to you."

He dismissed that with a wave of his hand, "I was due for some excitement"

The younger man grinned, "Then you will like this. I came because I found something for you." He pulled a rolled sheet of parchment from his cloak.

"Another codex page!" Leonardo all but snatched it from Ezio and unrolled it on the table. The artist leaned over it, studying it intently, "I have seen this cipher before…"

"What does it say?" Ezio asked.

Leonardo shushed him with a wave of his hand, muttering to himself. Ezio laughed and took a seat, putting his feet up to wait. While the artist chattered happily to himself, the assassin took a well earned nap.

"Ah yes I see," Leonardo said finally, "It's a modification to your hidden blade, to improve the spring mechanism." The artist grinned, "Yes, I see… very clever. I am sure I have the materials around here somewhere…" He turned to Ezio and held out his hand expectantly, "It will not take me long at all, if you wish to wait."

The assassin was already untying the bracer. "I have some people to see."

"I should have it finished by the time you return," Leonardo promised. He made his way over to his work table and opened a drawer, looking for an appropriate tool. Suddenly the artist gave a yelp and then cursed, startling Ezio.

"What is it?" Ezio asked, hand on his dagger. He relaxed when he saw a rat plop down on the floor, scuttling off to hide.

"Ratti maledetto," Leonardo cursed, "One would think I could build a decent rat trap."

Ezio couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Indeed."

The artist gave a dismissive shrug. "Off with you. I'll have this finished in a few hours."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Since he had become an assassin, Ezio had learned to pay better attention to his surroundings. A beggar digging through a pile of trash was quickly evaluated as dismissed as nonthreatening. However, when the man let out a startled cry, the assassin automatically glanced back at him.

A small feline of indeterminate color had climbed out of the pile and was perched on a box, unconcerned. It licked its front paw and then continued sniffing around.  
" Shoo! Andare via!" the beggar growled, swatting at the cat. The last thing he needed was some mangy cat getting all the best scraps. She extended a clawed front paw and scratched at her attacker.  
As Ezio watched, the cat hissed bravely at the man and jumped out of the way of his booted foot. The man went to kick at the little beast again, but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Please, allow me signore," Ezio gently pushed the startled man out of the way and knelt down by the cat. The cat, more of a kitten really, was thin and dirty and it looked at Ezio untrustingly. As she darted around, Ezio could see that she was female.  
The assassin gave a smile and held out a hand to the cat, "Come here… that's it… such a pretty bambina…" She crept closer to him.  
Ezio was still as a statue. "I will not hurt you bambina… Prometto… I promise."

When he didn't reach out to grab her, she moved closer, sniffing his fingers. He blinked as he got a good look at her. "Che e questo? What happened to your tail, little one?" Unlike a normal cat tail, she had a short stump at the end. For such a young cat, it seemed that she had seen her share of trouble… just like him.  
"Would you like to come with me?" he asked, turning his hand over and letting her sniff the back of his palm, "I know someone who would care for you very much."  
The kitten licked his fingers with her sand paper tounge and he chuckled, "I will take that as a yes." He carefully closed his hand around her middle, picking her up.

She gave a soft meow, and then wiggled in his hold. Ezio gazed into her bright green eyes, "Relax bambina…" he said soothingly, "You are in good hands now."

He considered and then slipped the thin little creature up into his hood. She was just small enough to sit securely on his shoulder. "There we go."  
She whined softly and dug her claws into his shoulder, holding on.

Ezio cringed a bit, "Per favore… bambina… watch your claws please."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonardo had finished the modifications and had tested it out on one of the practice dummies that he kept in the courtyard. With that settled, he polished the blade and sharpened it. Now there was nothing to do but wait until Ezio returned.

When the assassin finally returned, the artist was dozing in his chair. He woke when he heard Ezio entering through the back window. He was on his feet, rubbing the sleep from his eyes by the time Ezio entered his work room. "Did you find what you were looking for?" the artist asked.

Ezio nodded, "Yes, I was successful."

"Good," Leonardo replied, flicking out the blade, "So was I."

A slow grin spread across Ezio's face as he watched Leonardo retract the blade and unlace it. He handed the bracer back to Ezio. The assassin laced the bracer back on his wrist and regarded it with a smile. He felt much better with the bracer back where it belonged. "I like this… very much."

"Glad to hear it," Leonardo smiled, "This should help you."

"Oh, that's right," Ezio grinned, "I have something to help you out as well."

"Oh?" there was a sparkle in Leonardo's eye, "Did you find something interesting while you were out?"

"You could say that, signore." He reached up into his hood and then carefully pulled out the kitten. He held the cat out to Leonardo, "Here, she is yours."

"Mine?" Leonardo blinked.

"For your rat problem," Ezio said, "I saw her in action, she's quite a little warrior."

Leonardo carefully took the confused kitten and looked her over. "Well… she's a bit of a mess, isn't she?"

"She could use a bit of cleaning up, si," Ezio agreed, "But I figured you could use her." He grinned, "But she has a bit of a feisty side, so watch yourself, eh?"

"Where did you find her?" Leonardo asked.

"In the trash."

The artist chuckled, "Oh really?" he regarded the kitten, "And what was such a fine lady doing in the trash?"

"I believe she was catching her dinner," Ezio offered.

"Her dinner… un momento…" he handed the cat back to Ezio and hurried off. The assassin and the kitten blinked at each other as they waited for Leonardo to return. In no time at all, he returned with a dish, which he set down on the work table.  
Ezio set the kitten down and she darted over to the dish, practically inhaling the food that Leonardo had set out for her.

"I figured that she'd be good help around here," Ezio said.

"I believe you are right, my friend," Leonardo said with a smile, watching the cat.

The assassin looked at his bracer, "So… these work much better now?"

"What?" Leonardo blinked, "Oh! The blades, yes. They should."

"Grazie," the assassin made his way outside, "then I shall be going."

"Bene," Leonardo replied absently, watching the kitten.

"Ciao my friend," Ezio grinned and headed back out into the street.

After she had polished off the food that Leonardo had given her, the kitten set to exploring the table. She sniffed at a paint brush and wrinkled her nose at the scent of the paint. She batted at for a moment and then lost interest, sitting down and washing one of her paws.

"Well miss," Leonardo addressed her, "What do you think of my home?"

She gave a loud meow, her stub of a tail twitching.

"Would you like to stay?" he stroked her behind the ears, "I would like that."

She purred loudly, closing her eyes and leaning into his touch. The artist smiled, "I will take that as a yes."

He nodded and picked up a rag, dunking it into a bucket of water and wringing it out. "You're a mess," he informed her, "Let's see what you really look like." The kitten was so covered in soot and dirt that it was impossible to tell what she really looked like.  
Leonardo lightly ran the damp cloth over her back. The kitten stiffened and growled softly, her fur bristling up.

"I'm not going to hurt you, mia bella," he said soothingly, stroking her ears again, "I just want to get the dirt off."

Between his touch and his voice, the kitten relaxed, purring softly. She rubbed her shoulders back against his hand to ease an itchy spot.

"That's not so bad, is it?"

She turned back and licked his fingers, making the artist laugh. Now that he had cleaned her off, he could see that she was a rich calico.

"Sei bella!" he exclaimed with a smile. The kitten gathered herself and jumped up onto his shoulder, licking the edge of his ear.

"I take it that means you like me too."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonardo wasn't sure where Ezio spent his nights, if the young assassin ever slept at all. He never asked. But he was pleased when Ezio returned the next morning.

"Buongiorno Leonardo," Ezio greeted him, "How was your evening?"

"Bene," Leonardo replied with a grin, "Especially since I had a lovely young lady to share my bed."

Ezio's eyebrows shot up, "Did you now?"

"I did indeed."

"So you are holding out on me, are you?" Ezio half-teased.

Leonardo laughed, "My dear little Neroli. I am so glad you brought her to me."

Ezio blinked. Then blinked again. "The… cat?" he asked slowly.

"Si," Leonardo replied, "What do you think of the name?"

Ezio refrained from rolling his eyes. "It is perfect, signore."


End file.
